Merkel wants broadband internet for every German
German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to provide faster internet for the entire country, she announced at this week’s internet technology summit in Darmstadt, daily Die Welt reported on Friday.
“I have suggested expanding the broadband network on a European level, like China is expanding the rail-and street network at the moment,” Merkel told the summit on Thursday.
The chancellor said she aims for Germany to be on the fast track of the information highway within the next three to four years. “We should seize the crisis to expand broadband especially in rural areas,” she added.
The development and construction could create up to 250,000 jobs and a macroeconomic turnover of about €50 billion, according to the Federation of German Industries, which could help revive the country's battered economy as the financial crisis persists.
“A good infrastructure is the basis for a strong business location,” the paper reported Economy Minister Michael Glos as saying.
To make Germany an attractive economic site again as soon as possible, Merkel intends to campaign for the usage of digital frequencies currently held by broadcasting services for wireless internet instead.
A strategy plan published by the Economy Ministry for the IT summit suggests the expansion of high-capacity fibre optic cables as well as the radio based broadband net, the source that 98 percent of German households currently access.
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“I have suggested expanding the broadband network on a European level, like China is expanding the rail-and street network at the moment,” Merkel told the summit on Thursday.
The chancellor said she aims for Germany to be on the fast track of the information highway within the next three to four years. “We should seize the crisis to expand broadband especially in rural areas,” she added.
The development and construction could create up to 250,000 jobs and a macroeconomic turnover of about €50 billion, according to the Federation of German Industries, which could help revive the country's battered economy as the financial crisis persists.
“A good infrastructure is the basis for a strong business location,” the paper reported Economy Minister Michael Glos as saying.
To make Germany an attractive economic site again as soon as possible, Merkel intends to campaign for the usage of digital frequencies currently held by broadcasting services for wireless internet instead.
A strategy plan published by the Economy Ministry for the IT summit suggests the expansion of high-capacity fibre optic cables as well as the radio based broadband net, the source that 98 percent of German households currently access.
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